Introduction

Inbound Shovel, the popular game dev Youtuber and creator of Isadora's Edge has just wrapped up his first game jam on Itch.io. With over 1000 entries, it's safe to say that it was a success!

Participants had ten days to make a game fitting the theme "just get started." I took the time to play through some of the submissions, and I've listed my three most favorite ones here, along with what made them so special. So, without further ado, let's just get started!

3. Ben 2: The Final Reckoning

Ben 2: The Final Reckoning, developed by Jimbo Mack, is a puzzle game you cannot play. Or, at least, that's what it seems like at first. Clicking the start button won't do anything. Instead, you must first give it some motivation, putting a humorous, yet literal, spin on the theme "just get started."

 After motivating the start button, the game still refuses to let you play. You must complete a variety of other tasks first, such as generating an idea for the game, fighting a monster possessing the button, and repairing the menu before you can finally press start. Upon doing so... well I can't spoil it! You'll just have to try the game for yourself.

I thought the game was funny; it reminds me of the flash game There Is No Game by Kamizoto. My only complaint is that it isn't long enough! It only took me about 10 minutes to finish the game. Nonetheless, I had a fun time with this one, and I love how it interpreted the jam's theme. 

2. Dilly Dally

Dilly Dally, developed by Daggerz and Ramen, stars Dilly Dally, the self-proclaimed incarnation of procrastination, whose goal is to prevent you from getting started on an important work project! You'll have to talk your way out of distraction after distraction, and face off in a battle against the master distractor himself to finally be able to get to work.

The art style and music are reminiscent of Undertale, which I absolutely love, and Dilly Dally is a very charming character. One small issue I have is that the text isn't skippable. It was a little annoying to have to wait through the same text again and again after each time you lose. Though perhaps Dilly Dally wouldn't be too fond of that idea!

I highly encourage you to stop dilly-dallying and play the game for yourself now!

1. Just Get Started On Life

Just Get Started On Life, developed by TicTacJoe, follows a baby as she gets started on life, learning foundational skills like talking, walking, and eating! You'll have to play various minigames to "teach" these skills to her, and all of them are very fun!

I really love the concept of the game and I love how it interpreted the jam's theme. I only wish they took it further and had more games! Regardless, the music, art, and minigames themselves all add up to an enjoyable experience that I think could be turned into a really solid full release!

Feel free to just get started with the game if it piques your interest like it did mine!

Conclusion

With over 1000 submissions to the jam, I was not nearly able to play every game, but what I did play, I enjoyed!

Something interesting I noticed was that every game that made my personal top 3 also happened to be labeled "newbie," meaning it was the developer's first time participating in a game jam! This fact made me even more impressed with the submissions.

According to Itch.io, a whopping 64.5% of the entries were labeled as newbie! It goes to show that game jams really can be a good way for aspiring developers to just get started.